Rosalina

“May the stars shine down on you.”

—Rosalina to the player in Super Mario Galaxy.

Rosalina (ロゼッタ Rozetta?, Rosetta) /ˌrəʊzɑˈlinɑ/ is a woman who is the guardian of space and the adoptive mother of the Lumas. Rosalina made her debut in Super Mario Galaxy, though she has become a recurring character in spin-off games. She lives in space with her adopted children, the Lumas, and travels the universe on the Comet Observatory.

Rosalina is a woman with great power, whose sole duty is to watch over and guard the universe, the Mushroom World and protect the Lumas. Rosalina’s backstory is described in her story book, which is found in the Comet Observatory’s Library in Super Mario Galaxy, telling her past of her time living on Earth and how she met the Lumas. She is currently voiced by Laura Faye Smith.

Profile

Personality traits

Rosalina is shown to be a wise, mature, motherly, and kind woman, who has made protecting the cosmos her mission in life. She is a loving mother figure to the Lumas, caring for her children diligently. She also showed sorrow for her own mother, who apparently died many years before Rosalina met the Lumas. She also uses the phrase “may the stars shine down on you” as a way of saying good luck.

Rosalina possesses extensive knowledge of the universe and the abilities of the Lumas, as she explains to Mario/Luigi how Lumas are adept at transforming and how they are reborn.

Rosalina is ambidextrous, using her right hand for magic, but her left hand holding her wand.

Physical description

Rosalina is a tall woman with fair skin and cyan-colored eyes, with only her left eye visible from a directly frontal view as her particularly large bang of her hair covers her right eye. She has defined peach-colored lips and long platinum-blonde hair that reaches to her waist with two sideburns and two pairs of crescent moon-shaped parting bangs aligned vertically on each side, with the topmost pairs along her forehead, nearly touching her eyes, and the bottommost pairs closest to her neck. For makeup, she uses purple nail polish and brown mascara. While she was young, according to her storybook, her hair was strawberry blonde; Peach had the same hair color due to NES limitations.

Her primary outfit consists of a turquoise bell-sleeve gown with pastel blue edges and hem, which is folded toward the shoulders to bare them and, through a triangular opening, reveals white petticoat at its base, along with a silver crown with four gems—two rubies at the front and back and two sapphires at the sides, a topaz brooch with silver star setting, gold four-pointed star earrings, and silver round-toe high heels. She notably appears in this outfit when playing golf, making her one of two girls (White Mage the other) to participate in a primarily sports-themed game wearing her heels (though she keeps the full-length dress, whereas White Mage sports a mini dress).

Like Peach and Daisy, she has a biker suit when riding bikes or ATVs in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8. Hers is primarily white and cyan, to differentiate hers from those of Peach and Daisy. Like Daisy, her hair needs to be flowing up to see the heart-shaped decal on the back of the suit.

In Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, Rosalina wore a sleeveless sports dress that matched the color of her standard gown in cyan. The shoes were teal, and her legs were cloaked in white tights, although the tights were colored silver in Mario Sports Superstars. In Mario Tennis Aces, her footwear is replaced by a set of cyan hard cross trainer shoes.

In Mario & Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Rosalina wore a leotard that was long-sleeved during swimming and rhythmic ribbon events.

Powers and abilities

• Magic: Rosalina is extremely skilled in the use of magic.
• Force Field Generation: Rosalina can create force fields. She can surround the Comet Observatory with a huge force field, transforming it into a starship as a form of transportation. Also, if Mario attempts to jump on Rosalina, a force field will appear and protect her.
• Levitation: Like the Lumas, Rosalina can levitate herself into the air.
• Flight: Like the Lumas, Rosalina has the ability to fly.
• Teleport: Rosalina has shown the ability to teleport, at least from Earth to Space.
• Telepathy: When Mario wakes up in the Mushroom Kingdom after the Lumas throw themselves into the black hole that Bowser’s collapsing galaxy created, Rosalina speaks to Mario via telepathy, telling him that all life carries the essence of stars, even himself.
• Holograms: Rosalina has shown the ability to create holograms of herself in Super Mario Galaxy 2, when she encounters Mario after he defeats Bowser.
• Immortality and Eternal Youth: Rosalina has the appearance of a tall, young woman and has a youthful face and figure, despite being at least one hundred years old.

Biography

Early life

As a young child, Rosalina found a sad small star nearby a rusted spaceship. Rosalina asked its name, it introduced itself to be Luma. Its mother was coming for it via a comet. Rosalina borrowed a telescope to seek what was coming at nightfall, and for years, she did not see its mother. She knew she would be an old lady by the time she was finished searching if she stayed in the same place, so she suggested to search for the Luma’s mother in a more proactive fashion. They departed from Earth on the Starshroom to continue their search.

While looking for Luma’s mother, Luma allowed Rosalina to taste Star Bits for the first time, among other experiences the two shared. Rosalina and Luma found a comet but could not find Luma’s mother. Rosalina and Luma rode on the turquoise comet and continued their quest. Rosalina told Luma that she will take care of him. The duo built their home on a solitary planet. Rosalina and Luma spotted an apricot planet one day, from which the other Lumas appeared and joined the duo.

Rosalina remembered using her father’s telescope. She focused the telescope’s lens to view the hill. When the hill reminded her about her family moments, she cried and was desperate to return home. Luma consoled her and transformed into a Comet Observatory that would forever carry their friends on their journey, in order to alleviate Rosalina’s wishes. Rosalina and the Lumas reunited as a family, and Rosalina then made it her mission in life to protect these star people whom she do greatly loves, while also becoming the guardian of the universe. Since Rosalina still held an attachment to her home planet, Rosalina decided to visit Earth once every one hundred years, which eventually caused the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom celebrate the arrival of the comet, which is really the Comet Observatory, when it visited Earth once every century, calling the event the Starbit Festival.

Galaxy

During one of her centennial visits to the Mushroom Kingdom, the Comet Observatory was attacked by Bowser, who stole the observatory’s Power Stars and Grand Stars, leaving Rosalina and the Lumas stranded in space and the Observatory was reduced to a hibernated state. Rosalina later appeared to Mario/Luigi after Peach is kidnapped at the Gateway to the Starry Skies after the young Luma rescues him. In order to aid Mario/Luigi, she gives him Luma, the same one seen with Peach at the Star Festival. Once Mario/Luigi collects the first Grand Star, she explains to him that Bowser stole the Power Stars and requests that he help get them back, in exchange, she will use the Comet Observatory to travel to the center of the universe so Mario/Luigi can rescue the princess.

After Mario/Luigi collects enough stars to power the ship, Rosalina flies the observatory to the center of the universe for the final confrontation with Bowser. After the Lumas sacrifice themselves to stop the giant black hole created by Bowser’s collapsing galaxy, thus erasing the game’s events from history and recreating the universe, Rosalina appears to Mario/Luigi and explains the cycle of life to him before he awakens at Peach’s Castle. As Mario/Luigi wakes up in the Mushroom kingdom along with Peach and Bowser, Rosalina speaks to him via telepathy from the Comet Observatory, which is currently stationed in front of Earth within Mario/Luigi’s view. She explains that all life carries the essence of stars, and even himself.

In the ending that only appears if Mario/Luigi obtained 120 stars, Rosalina is seen in Gateway Galaxy watching over Mario/Luigi while looking down upon Earth while surrounded by her Lumas, and thanks Mario/Luigi for what they have done, saying she will watch over them from beyond the stars before turning away and going into one of the houses in Gateway Galaxy. After she reappears from the house, she flies into the sky and surrounds the Comet Observatory in a force field with her magic wand before flying away in the Observatory with the Lumas.

Galaxy 2

Lubba reveals at this time that he and Rosalina had met before, but the details of their meeting remain unknown. As the events of Super Mario Galaxy were erased due to universe reborn, Mario and Peach meet Rosalina for the first time, while Mario and Peach had forgotten the previous events.

In Super Mario series

Super Mario Galaxy

Rosalina appears in Super Mario Galaxy as a non-playable character.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Rosalina appears during the ending sequence of Super Mario Galaxy 2, and after the player collects 120 stars it is revealed that Rosalina was reading the story of the events to some Lumas.

She frequently sends letters to the Baby Luma who accompanied with Mario, but she does not reveal her identity. This game also features a cosmic version of Rosalina, known as the Cosmic Spirit.

Super Mario 3D World/Bowser’s Fury

Rosalina appears as an unlockable playable character in Super Mario 3D World and Bowser’s Fury. She is unlocked after the player has completed World Star-2: Super Galaxy. She has the ability to use the Spin attack, similar to that of Mario and Luigi in the Super Mario Galaxy games and has normal traction. She is, however, slower like Princess Peach. This is also the first time Rosalina is playable in a Mario platformer.

The Comet Observatory can be seen in the background of the game’s expanded key artwork, the final scene after the credits, and World Star-2: Super Galaxy.

Super Mario Maker

Rosalina appears in Super Mario Maker as an unlockable Mystery Mushroom transformation by clearing the 100 Mario challenge on normal or harder or by scanning a Rosalina & Luma amiibo. Here, she is given an 8-bit appearance based on her Super Smash Bros. look, with a Luma floating alongside her.

Super Mario Odyssey

In Super Mario Odyssey, Rosalina makes a cameo as an 8-bit sprite that can be found on a vegetable on the Dark Side of the Moon and a wall on the Darker Side of the Moon.

Aside from this, while she herself does not appear in the game, concept art revealed that she was planned to appear as a street musician playing an acoustic guitar.

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

In Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope appears alterego Rabbid Rosalina in the game.

In Mario Tennis series

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash

Rosalina appears as a playable character in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash. This is the first installment in the Mario series overall in which Rosalina makes a debut wearing her active sports outfit, which is similar to the tennis outfit that Princess Peach wears but based on her dress. Also, she is the only one of the three newcomers to be available from the start. To differentiate her from the others, she levitates while moving around, with small dust of sparkles coming from her feet, and even sometimes her racket. Additionally, she levitates the ball instead of holding it.

Rosalina is a Power-type character, meaning that her hits are fast and strong, and is the first female character in the Mario sports titles to have this type.

Mario Tennis Aces

Rosalina reappears as a playable character in Mario Tennis Aces. Unlike Ultra Smash, Rosalina is classified as a Tricky character. Her Trick Shots are known as the Galaxy Warp and Satellite Shift, and her Special Shot is referred to as the Star Combo.

In Dr. Mario World

In Dr. Mario World, Rosalina dons a white lab coat and has a high power level (at 4) to begin with, she also comes with a Luma in an update. Dr. Luma has a power level of 1, but more skill-based. Rosalina’s special move can stop viruses from moving for seven seconds in story mode, while in versus she can randomly change the form of two viruses of the opponent.

In Mario Kart series

Mario Kart Wii

Rosalina in Mario Kart Wii.

Rosalina makes her first playable appearance in Mario Kart Wii as an unlockable character. She can be unlocked by having a save file for Super Mario Galaxy and racing in 50 races, or the player can attain at least a 1 Star Rank for all Mirror Grand Prix Cups. Unlike Princess Peach and Princess Daisy, Rosalina is in the heavyweight class (likely as she is taller than the others; the same happens to Waluigi) while Peach and Daisy are in the middleweight class. While she races, a yellow Luma will circle around her the whole time, and even make sounds as well. Rosalina will wear her normal dress when riding in karts, but on bikes she wears her biker suit, which is the same as Peach’s and Daisy’s, but has Rosalina’s own color scheme. Her emblem on her kart and bike is the Grand Star. Rosalina is also the staff ghost character for Rainbow Road.

Mario Kart 7

Rosalina with her turquoise Birthday Girl in Mario Kart 7.

Rosalina returns again in Mario Kart 7, this being her second time in the series overall. This time, Rosalina does not have a Luma circling her kart, but her emblem remains the Grand Star. She is again a heavier character, but this time being in the cruiserweight class. Just like the previous Mario Kart Wii, she is unlockable by completing the Star Cup on 150cc. Rosalina has a course named after her, which is called Rosalina’s Ice World, which has what appears to be the Comet Observatory in the background. In races, her rivals will be Princess Peach and Honey Queen, while her third rival is Toad.

Like Princess Daisy and Honey Queen, Rosalina gets her own color scheme for the Birthday Girl and Peach Parasol, which have are colored turquoise.

As a computer-controlled racer, Rosalina often chooses from the Standard, Birthday Girl, Cloud 9, and Bolt Buggy kart bodies.

In Time Trial, the staff ghosts uses her in the Time Trials for Music Park and Rosalina’s Ice World.

Mario Kart 8 / Deluxe

An artwork of Rosalina on the moon from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Like the previous Mario Kart games, Rosalina is an unlockable and playable character in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Unlike Mario Kart Wii, Luma will not be circling around her. Like Mario Kart Wii, Rosalina maintains her biker suit, which she wears on bikes and the game’s new ATVs. Her Peach Parasol is colored turquoise just like 7. Certain vehicles also use color schemes to fit Rosalina.

Her appearance in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is unchanged from her appearance in Mario Kart 8.

In races, her main rival will be Toad. As a computer-controlled racer, Rosalina choses from the Standard, Circuit Special, Sport Bike and Standard ATV body parts.

She is used by the same 150cc staff ghost, Nin★Leonel on a Circuit Special with the Standard tires and Super Glider. Even used by the 200cc staff ghost, Nin★Pedro.

Mario Kart Tour

Rosalina is a playable character in Mario Kart Tour, a mobile device game for iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire operating devices. She first became playable when the Tokyo Tour event came about on October 8, 2019.

Her first alternate form was introduced during the Halloween Tour on October 22, 2019. In her Halloween form, she wears a plum purple dress with a witch hat matching the same color of the dress. A cyan band with a pumpkin figure is attached at the center of the hat. The lower portion features black tights and pewter gray heels.

During the Vancouver Tour on February 11, 2020, her Aurora form was introduced. Her Aurora form dons a dress that run in aurora colors of cyan, turquoise, blue, indigo, violet, and deep purple. The gloves run over the shoulder, which bear the same colors of the dress with a standard white band at the end. There are clear blue crystals attached to the left side of her frontal hair. The heels and tights are colored silver.

Her Swimwear form was first introduced during the Marine Tour on June 30, 2020. In her Swimwear form, she wears a turquoise swimdress with Grand Star printings in it. She wears plastic wristbands on both wrists and a turquoise bead band attached to her left ankle.

Her Volendam form was first introduced during the Amsterdam Tour on April 19, 2022. In her Volendam form, she wears a black maid dress and a white maid hat with a cyan marking in front of the hat. The dress is white in the waist area with cyan flower markings, while the lower side has stripes in teal, cyan, and yellow. The heels she wears is bright yellow.

Mario Party series

Mario Party: Island Tour

Rosalina appears in Mario Party: Island Tour, however she is not playable. She appears on the Rocket Road game board at the end.

Mario Party 10

Rosalina playing with other characters in Mario Party 10.

Rosalina makes her Mario Party debut in Mario Party 10 as a standard playable character.

Mario Party: Star Rush

Rosalina’s artwork in Mario Party: Star Rush.

Rosalina appears in Mario Party: Star Rush once again. She is an unlockable character which the player must reach the Party Level 6. Her Dice Block is a Wondrous Dice Block.

Mario Party: The Top 100

Rosalina’s artwork in Mario Party: The Top 100.

In Mario Party: The Top 100, Rosalina is among the other seven characters that are playable in the series. Rosalina’s artwork is similar to her Mario Kart Wii artwork.

Super Mario Party

Rosalina reappears in Super Mario Party as a default playable character. Her animations from Mario Party 10 were reused in the game. On boards, her Dice Block is a Rosalina Dice Block.

Mario Party Superstars

In Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope

Rosalina frees herself from Cursa after the team defeats Cursa in the second phase. After her appearance, the final phase thus revealing Cursa’s true form. Rosalina protects herself with a sphere around her with the player’s goal to shoot the projectiles into the star hoops to assist Rosalina for her final blow against Cursa.

Rosalina has a Rabbid counterpart, Rabbid Rosalina.

Appearances in other games

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Rosalina & Luma are newcomers in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. She is the fifth Mario universe representative and the second female representative after Peach. In battle, Luma mimics the actions of Rosalina, allowing the duo to attack from two places at once. Rosalina’s Special Moves and standard move set are all based on Super Mario Galaxy:

• Luma Shot: Rosalina launches Luma forward, allowing it to remain in one location to set up combos
• Star Bits: Rosalina commands Luma to fire two miniature Star Bits.
• Launch Star: Rosalina propels herself forward with a Launch Star.
• Gravitational Pull: Rosalina creates a gravity field around her, drawing all items and projectiles (with nullified effects) toward her.

Rosalina’s Final Smash Power Star involves her summoning a massive Power Star, which gradually expands while shooting out smaller stars before exploding, causing massive amounts of damage for opponents caught within it.

Much like Peach, her defense and speed equipment attributes are based on her normal outfit (in which her dress has glimmering stars).

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Rosalina and Luma in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Rosalina & Luma reappeared in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as veterans. Notably, her Final Smash has changed to Grand Star, but functions the same.

Rosalina and Luma were present in the World of Light cutscene. As Galeem unleashed its beams, they attempt to fly away from the beams of light alongside Diddy Kong, but was captured by one of the beams and used to create puppet fighters for Galeem and Dharkon, with the exception of Kirby, who recruited the fighters. Rosalina and Luma can be found at the Dark Realm of the top path.

Behind the scenes

Creation and development

Rosalina’s early concept art.

During an interview, Shigeru Miyamoto stated about the ritual kidnapping of Princess Peach. He was also thinking of a cast of characters, one of them was a princess with a family of talking stars.[1] Yoshiaki Koizumi was planned for Rosalina to be related to Peach, but it’s unknown if that’s still the case.[2]

Rosalina’s early concept art showed her with beehive-styled hair and a light blue dress similar to Princess Peach and Princess Daisy.

Trivia

• Rosalina’s storybook in Super Mario Galaxy is likely the story of how her Lumas, the observatory, and her powers were created.
• Rosalina wore a pannier dress in her original design, but it was changed to be bell sleeve.
• In Mario Kart Wii, she is the only female by all unlockable heavyweights. This class designation may be due to her being taller than Peach and Daisy; the same happens to Waluigi.
• In Mario Golf: World Tour, Rosalina is a playable character, but still wears her normal dress. This aspect carries over into the golf game of Mario Sports Superstars. Because of this, Rosalina is the second female to participate in a sports-centered game wearing high heels, after White Mage. (Peach and Daisy do not have this designation because the Mario Kart games and Mario Party series are not official sports games, though Mario Kart may be close to it).
• In her Fire Flower form, Rosalina puts her hair in a ponytail like Peach in sports games, the only time a female other than Peach does so. Notably, her bang still covers her right eye just as it does when she is in her normal state.
• During an interview with Yoshiaki Koizumi (director of Super Mario Galaxy and creator of Rosalina) on the development of Super Mario Galaxy, he explained that Rosalina was originally meant to be related with Peach, but it’s not clear if that’s still the case. In her storybook, there is a depiction of her mother, who resembles Peach in a blue dress.
• During the final chapter in the French version of Super Mario Galaxy a description of her father is given describing him as a tall mustached father.
• Rosalina is shown to be one of the tallest characters in the Mario franchise. Her height is also shown to be equaled to Waluigi’s, making the two of them the tallest human characters in the series. However, Waluigi often squats and almost never stands straight up as a way to emulate the short statutes of the Mario Bros. and Wario, which reduces his height. Plus Rosalina is mostly seen levitating in her spin-off appearances.
• Rosalina broke the fourth wall twice after the player completes Super Mario Galaxy and Galaxy 2.
• Rosalina is one of the oldest characters in the Mario franchise and possibly the oldest human character as well, being at least 100 years old and possibly millions, as she states she visits Earth once every 100 years.
• In Super Mario Odyssey, other than being an 8-bit sprite, she was going to be a guitarist in New Donk City, but this was scrapped.

Gallery

To view Rosalina’s image gallery, click here.

References

1. ↑ Kohler, Chris (2009-06-12). Miyamoto: Why I Spiked Mario Galaxy 2’s Story. Wired.
2. ↑ kinsmangames (2012). The secret of Princess Rosalina. Kinsman Games.